Stooge's Longer term car projects, Part 2

[Kev442]

Kinda two steps back this weekend. It became patently clear to me that where I wanted the motor would interfere with the firewall, so the 53.5 " driveshaft had to go. Next one up I had was the 56" original. Nope. Ordered a new 55" one and all engine/trans placement is now on hold. I did cut a couple plates to eventually attach the motor mounts.

Spent a lot of time pressing u joints to test the 56" shaft and then take the yoke back off again.

Cut the rotten wheel well in previous pic out and did fit the replacement with a few tack welds. Forgot a pic.

Got side tracked today with a grinder with a bad power cord, then shimmed the engine hoist where it lists to Port.

 

[Stooge]

i dont remember, but why are you setting the engine back? is the weight of the body on the chassis already? i remember the picture of the body sitting above it but wasnt sure what it was sitting on. i wonder if the weight of a fully dressed/ interior car would compress the suspension enough that the 53.5" would have been long enough

Didnt really get much done this weekend. We changed out schedules at work and instead of five, regular 8hr days, we're doing a compressed four 10hr days so now i make out with a 3 day weekend. We do something similar during the summer, but with some staff changes over the last yr, we can do it permanently if we want, so im hoping for a little uptick in garage stuff now.
Started getting the body aligned and figuring out hardware for it, and also that one of the exhaust hangers, was keeping the body from setting down completely, but thats been adjusted.

20200919_125617 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Did some trimming to the fuel rail and throttle rod to set the intake back in and get an idea of where that will sit. Ive been planning on making some changes to it/ starting over with the same idea, but a little tidier, and also shortening the intake runners, (i had planned on doign this and left them long to allow for some adjustment). With that in place, i can start making sense of a throttle linkage to a pedal. i have some ideas, but need to take some measurements and figure out where a pedal will sit with the removable cover around the floor of the clutch and brake pedals. Lokar has a pedal to make things a little easier to route but at $180, i want to be sure it would work before ordering.

20200919_144853 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20200919_144837 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

I bought a stock steering column support/ steering lockout/ ignition switch on ebay, but it doesnt have the keys for it, so i spent some time figuring out the locks for it/ interchangeability, as i also want to get the doors sorted before i start body working them too much, so i want to get the handles figured out. My exterior handles are junk, so i'll need to find a new pair, but the ones i have were good enough to figure out how to pull the cylinders. I've seen replacement lock cylinders for the ignition and for the doors, but not in a matching set, but im fine with having a seperate key for the doors and ignition if it comes to that. Theres a little key code on the lock to get more keys made, but i dont know if the tumbler can be adjusted to match other keys/ match an ignition key to the door keys. According to the manual, for 1937, there was 1 key for doors, trunk, glove compartment and ignition.

20200920_132704 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

And with the transmission shifter and some of the pedals in place, i threw the seat back in to get an idea of where it will end up and i may have sat and made some noises . i'll need to find some pillows or blankets to fluff up the springs a bit and get a better idea of where i'll sit comfortably. Still not quite sure what i will be doing with the seat upholstery since lebaron bonney closed up, and upholstery places seem few and far between around here, especially for someone on a budget.....there may be some drunken thoughts and talks with a friend of mine who sews, of buying a sewing machine and giving it a whirl myself. though i havent decided yet, but it could be a good winter learning project, and also i'd be able to do some of the other interior pieces like a simple headliner and maybe a door card to match the one i have. i figure if getting the seats covered would be in the $1200 +/- range, i have some time before im in the red with buying a machine, the supplies, etc.

20200920_140134 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20200920_141135 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

 

[xtremek]

Looks like it's getting there. Will it be you or Kev to be running first?

 

[Kev442]

I would be spending a lot of time sitting in the Buick eyeballing that engine.
Making Vroom noises is built into our DNA.

Strangely, when I put the body down on 2x4s and 2x6's on the frame, I gained an inch of driveshaft travel. This also made me scratch my head, so I had the wife sit on the back end and bounce while I looked. It seems pretty stable now, but I will definitely be adding another 500 lbs to the car and hanging the doors before committing to the engine mount placement.

My engine/trans issue stems from the fact that I am going from the old style mounting used from '49-'64 that used one front mount and two trans mounts to the modern style of two front and one central trans mount. I could do what everyone else does, which is weld a solid front mount, but I'm stubborn and want a smooth isolated drivetrain.

As for running, I win! The engine I'm using is currently in the other car and I drive it a couple hundred yards regularly to keep it happy. Heck, it has a trailer hitch so I was using the small utility trailer on it just a couple weeks ago. Not bad for a car with absolutely no interior in it besides a bucket seat and floor shifter. I even cut chunks of floor bracing out of it to use in my other project, so I have a good view of the gravel going by

 

[Copymutt]

Here’s me in 53 on dads 36 Buick. Location, upstate NY, Marcellus Falls.

 

[Monza Harry]

Well that Induction/Exhaust DOES have the "LOOK"! That is Sweet, and nails the look you described in the beginning as I read it anyways! As for the engine noises, that is just a given, these sort of thigs keep us young at heart and feeling ALIVE! Just don't let the significant other (permanent or occasional) hear them as she will never let you hear the end of it. Harry

 

[Stooge]

Looks like it's getting there. Will it be you or Kev to be running first?

I would be spending a lot of time sitting in the Buick eyeballing that engine.
Making Vroom noises is built into our DNA.
....
As for running, I win! The engine I'm using is currently in the other car and I drive it a couple hundred yards regularly to keep it happy. Heck, it has a trailer hitch so I was using the small utility trailer on it just a couple weeks ago. Not bad for a car with absolutely no interior in it besides a bucket seat and floor shifter. I even cut chunks of floor bracing out of it to use in my other project, so I have a good view of the gravel going by

Hah, supposedly my engine ran before i bought it, even saw video of it when it was in the donor car, with 44k on it! its alot of welding, cleaning and rebuilding away from running now though The engine builder out from, who does alot of vintage engines along with racing engines/ alcohol funny car stuff said with those miles not to open the engine up, it will run fine and opening it up will just cost alot of money. he's been around a long time, it a very respected builder in the area so i thought that was pretty honest of him, but with what i want to do with this car, (extended drives/ road trips) im still a little iffy about not going through it a little atleast to make sure its not about to grenade itself

Here’s me in 53 on dads 36 Buick. Location, upstate NY, Marcellus Falls.

Cool picture! though that looks like a '37, like mine, rather than a '36

20190827_184128 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

I've been sort of collecting old, period pictures people have sent me of other '37's

3137_p37_l by Dan Haas, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1586560158459 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1586560121871 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

And a Century like my car, with the extended hood

37 century by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Well that Induction/Exhaust DOES have the "LOOK"! That is Sweet, and nails the look you described in the beginning as I read it anyways! As for the engine noises, that is just a given, these sort of thigs keep us young at heart and feeling ALIVE! Just don't let the significant other (permanent or occasional) hear them as she will never let you hear the end of it. Harry

Thanks! I was thinking that the other day, like im not the greatest at sticking to a hard and fast plan,but it really is starting to kind of look like how i was imagining a few yrs ago, and without too many compromises, but some improvements. the intake should function better/ looks better in my opinion than my first iterations thanks to some people, who are much smarter than I, and pointed me in the right direction. I am also rethinking a few finishes for under the hood though, and making it a little more polished/ elegant, than just low buck black

 

[xtremek]

If it rolls over easy with no plugs in it, I'd check coolant and oil pressure, and compression, then call it good. Drive it for and bit and recheck.

 

[Kev442]

My engine has 94k on it and will get a new oil pan and valve cover gaskets. This will allow me to check for timing chain nylon (an olds thing to keep it quiet). If I find debris then timing chain and gasket will get added. As many of these engines went 150-200k, I'm not going to sweat it, it sounds and runs good.

In the theme of my cheap tubing straightener built out of a chunk of scrap, today I watched a few u tube vids on popping a rusted drum off the hub as 2 days of penetrating fluid and a 7 lb sledge weren't happening. Of course I settled on the one based on a hunk of scrap wood and my existing gear puller. I didn't have any 4" long skinny bolts, so I decided phillips screwdriver shafts were probably stronger anyway.

Man, it worked slick. Popped each side in 15-30 seconds with zero drama. Not bad for a $0 investment.

 

[Kev442]

A few things to report, got my driveshaft and out of production rear shocks. I was suprised to see the shocks are at full extension even with the body sitting on the frame. Will definitely be holding off on engine mount placement for quite awhile until the car is much more complete.

Ended up lightening the back end a little more. Also found a good use for one end of the rotisserie. First pic, the bad and the good. Second pic, where it goes.

 

[Stooge]

A few things to report, got my driveshaft and out of production rear shocks. I was suprised to see the shocks are at full extension even with the body sitting on the frame. Will definitely be holding off on engine mount placement for quite awhile until the car is much more complete.

Ended up lightening the back end a little more. Also found a good use for one end of the rotisserie. First pic, the bad and the good. Second pic, where it goes.

as in, your waiting to locate the engine because of the weight of the car changing suspension geometry? do they sell adjustable arms, or just uppers, for the rear of it, maybe Spohn or someone? then it wouldnt really matter waiting to get the engine located exactly where you want it, and you could adjust the driveshaft angles with the arms? or did i completely misunderstand?

With the body back on, its time to jump back on to some of the remaining sheet metal projects that i was procrastinating on and and i didnt want to do too much cutting while the body was sitting on stands at the chance of having something fall out of shape, ( door sills, trunk frame, etc.). i had made a new repair panel for the passenger side cowl/ fender mounting area months ago, so i started there saturday.

Fairly crusty and i could pull the lower portion apart with my hand
2020-10-05_07-16-12 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

A quick check with the new panel cleco'd over the old section
20200315_153535 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20200315_153711 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20200927_123319 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

It had been partially repaired before and there were some unexpected gobs of brazing, but luckily the inner rocker metal it was attached to at the pinch/ crimp area was rotted and i could just replace it rather than fight welding around brazed metal

20200927_123900 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

that small section on the top, i just cut out and made a simple little patch, most of that area was good and i didn't want make a whole new panel for it

20200927_125429 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

A quicky little inner rocker piece, curved on the left side to fit around a section of the door sill. **** welded on the right upper side, but there was a factory over lap from a piece of the floor that i took advantage of to just do "spot"plug welds on that section and cheat a bit. gave it a good once over with a while wheel and some cleaner and painted it all since it would be sealed up permanently, though there is a small window from the inner toeboard area, but not really accessible for paint.

20200929_202043 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Made a template to locate the fender mounts and used some 5/16-18 weldnuts on the backside to match the original thread sizes since one of them was still being used outside of the area that was being replaced

20200927_105930 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20200927_133758 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201003_132016 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Still have some cleaning up to do on it, but thats good enough to make sure it will fit right. i left the bottom curve unwelded so when i get the door aligned and where i want it, i can match the new panel to align with the door bottom. i did the same thing with the rear rockers.

20201004_101412 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

2020-10-05_07-40-01 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

I had some free time yesterday before i was supposed to give a buddy a hand with something, and mounted the door and loosely bolted the fender in place, (both a big a pain in the *** by yourself) and put a running board on. theres alot of adjustment with the running board brackets, and the fender itself, so i'll spend some time getting it sorted, but certainly looks like it will fit correctly and the fender will fit snug in the relief areas of the new panel. Theres still a piece of the door sill bracing in the place so the door is open a bit and just ziptied closed.

20201004_112327 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201004_112157 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201004_112314 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201004_112206 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201004_112344 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

 

[Stooge]

In other news, new garage door day moving things around prompted a few things, along with a ride in a buddy's chevelle that he's doing a sort of low buck, where he can pro-touring/ make it handle set up with. Getting the truck up off the ground to replace the rear trans seal, getting it moving, with having to charge the battery just to get it high enough up to get a jack under it, and everything sort of involved with it in current form is a pain in the ***. ive been thinking about this for most of this year, and theres a 98% chance that this winter, all of the air ride stuff is coming out and im doing coilovers in all 4 corners. I can reuse the hard part suspension stuff; 4 link in the back and the aftermarket raised front crossmember, beefy front sway bar, tubular upper and lower control arms, rack and pinion steering, etc. and it should work well with still having a low ride height and have something that will handle and i can have some fun with. Ive never had any problem with the air ride, and the accuair system has worked great, but its just sort of crusing around gingerly, without really being comfortable beating on it or taking it out as much as i would like to. Plus, tastes just change. i probably started that truck close to 10yrs ago, and what i wanted when i was 23-24, is a little different to what i want at 33. I would also like to put some door handles back on it, but i was thinking of doing that before i even painted it. Probably leaning towards single adjustable Ride Tech shocks, but im open to suggestion. Ride Tech will be around $700 a pair, and looks like QA1 are similarly priced.

Im pretty excited about this change and having something cool to just jump in and not really have to worry about much.

20200926_115100 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20200926_115105 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

i have full steering lock to lock with the front aired all the way down, so i can set up a pretty low ride height, i was thinking right around here, so i can get a jack under the frame

2020-10-05_07-55-18 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

2020-10-05_07-55-07 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

 

[BORING HOP YARD]

Hey Dan, nice work on the patch panel, it looks great!

 

[xtremek]

Kev, that was some pretty rotten steel. Where did you get the replacement?

Dan, nice job, as usual, on the body work. Did have fun during your ride in the Chevelle? What control system do you have in the truck? What are your plans for it?

 

[Stooge]

Kev, that was some pretty rotten steel. Where did you get the replacement?

Dan, nice job, as usual, on the body work. Did have fun during your ride in the Chevelle? What control system do you have in the truck? What are your plans for it?

Thanks! surprisingly it was pretty easy to really get the fit nice and tight with the door sill area that i was most concerned about, maybe im finally starting to figure some of this stuff out!

I have Accuair E-level system with the VU4 manifold for 3/8 line, ride height sensors at each corner, and the remote control with ride height presets and individual control for each wheel, 2 Viair 400C air compressors, and (2) 2.5 or 3 gallon aluminum air tanks with water traps, all DOT brass PTC fittings and the bags are Dominator 2600's. Accuair did go out of business a few months ago blaming covid, but the aftermarket already seems to be making most of the stuff for it as far as needing any support/ replacement parts, (everything on my system works fine, though i think i have one of the height sensor links that i changed on backwards so the calibration is off). No plans for it and its not spoken for if someone building a COE was interested in it

 

[xtremek]

Or maybe someone who also has an '03 S'crew they want to bag. PM me with a price. I have shock waves for the front of the S'crew, and the COE will probably need medium duty truck bags.

 

[Kev442]

The rear suspension is the only thing not in flux, I'm leaving it alone.
It's no big deal to wait on placement, I only want to drill the frame once for the transmission crossmember. I think I want the body bolted down first anyway.

Dan, I think you are getting the hang of that sheetmetal stuff. Looking mighty fine.
My birdpooping two hunks of 60 yo metal, well, lets just say a kindergartner might be better at it...

xtremek, the metal came from the parts car I hauled back from ND. It has been uncanny how the 4 door parts car has had what the 2 door hardtop has needed. The few areas of the parts car that were rotten were good on the coupe. I went to get the car solely for the front clip. Getting the frame, floorpans and assorted other sheetmetal patches had been a huge bonus.

 

[xtremek]

.......My birdpooping two hunks of 60 yo metal, well, lets just say a kindergartner might be better at it......

At least you're out there doing it. A lot of folks just dream about it and never even try.

 

[Stooge]

Having last week off trying to eat up some vacation time before the end of the year, and managed to get some stuff done, not as much as i was planning but it was nice to have some time off.

The one im pretty excited about, and whats going to save me alot of time and money, getting a seat for the Buick upholstered. i had bought a seat frame, springs, etc. a year or so ago, then Lebaron Bonney, who i was going to get the seat coverings and some interior stuff, went bankrupt, and i've been hemming and hawing about getting it covered, the cost, etc. Then, someone in a 37, 38 Buick group, posted an ad they found for some seats way up in Maine, so i called him, took a vacation day and headed up to Maine a day later. Older guy, drag raced for decades, was a founding member of the Orientals car club, had some cool cars in a nice barn, (also a beautiful house overlooking the mountains) and most importantly, a really nicely upholstered split bench seat, with the decorative chrome pieces, side skirts, etc, from a 1938 Buick for $100

a '26 T that he made into an extended cab truck and stretched it 17", it has an SBC, but he said he's put 65k miles on it driving it around the country,

20201014_122051 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

'39, also an SBC
20201014_122038 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

and a '39 Pontiac that he was taking apart, and i believe putting an SBC in it since he asked me if i wanted a flat straight 8 from it
20201014_122018 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

The Equinox earning it's keep, the new seat fit perfectly in the back. i hadnt really taken the equinox on any long drives after buying it last yr, but 3.5hrs up, was at his house for probably 30minutes, then a 4hr drive home, and it was really comfortable cruising the whole time around 75 since i wasnt in a rush and had a nice leisurely drive.

[/url]20201014_174248 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201024_193424 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

its in great shape, but could use a cleaning. looks like it was just in a car that was brought to shows or something without any hard wear on it. i dont know why the seat bottom looks discolored in the pictures, other than maybe that its corduroy/ broadcord and needs to be brushed in the same direction

20201025_123900 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

And i finally got to actually sit in my car for the first time after owning it for 3'ish yrs! Just a test fit and to mark out on the floor where the seat will be moved to, since alot of the floor has been replaced and i want the seat to be where im comfortable sitting, rather than the remaining stock floor holes, since they sit you pretty close to the wheel and dahs and im a big guy. (The steering wheel isnt bolted up to the dash yet and is sitting lower than it will)

20201024_191046 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

and the old seat for comparison
20201012_192539 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Got the rest of the trunk weather stripping channel cut out, the supports cleaned up, and the new pieces i made fitted. I decided to just drill holes into the new channel to coincide with the supports, and then i'll plug weld them to the stock support pieces. it ends up being around 16ft of new channel, so i've just been picking away at it running a bunch of tacks in between doing other things. Cleaning up the welds and dressing them isnt something im looking forward to, but it shouldnt be TOO bad if i just take my time. the trunk lid will go back on to fit the lower piece of channel, then im going to cut out the rest of the trunk floor and remake it. i was trying to get away with using it as is, but it needs to be done and i'll regret not doing down the line.

20201025_123349 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201025_123341 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201025_123353 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

I also thought it was time to finish the Edsel fender that i had started awhile back, since it was getting the in the way and collecting dust. i had been avoiding it because the peak/ end of the body line was giving me trouble trying to get it right, so i started there. The bottom side of the body line, is an indented/ concave shape and slightly sharp, where the top, is a rounded outward shape. i had the new piece made with the rounded up, and got stuck. Then i thought instead of making it all one piece, i ran a strip thought the bead roller and started trimming the edges to fit the opening. Still needs work, but not a million miles away. i'll make a profile shape with the corking tool i got from Cornfield Customs to really fine tune the edges, and sharpen them up a bit.

20181209_113143 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20181209_121508 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201010_125746 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

its just loosely in place and theres no inner fender to help align it, but its looking better
20201010_170820 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201010_170823 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

And the corking tool, i'll shape one of the blocks to what i want, and its used with a hammer to fine tune edges. i bought it specifically for this, but i think it will be useful for other projects

20201010_102530 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Then since the driver side suspension had been stripped, painted, rebuilt and installed, i should start on the passenger side since i didnt need to reference it anymore for the driver side. went easier and came apart without too much trouble, but it was noticeably more rusty than the driver side, but its been off the road since 1968, so i guess im not that surprised. Maybe one side was sitting facing a wall or something away from the weather slightly more than the other side?

Genuine Iowa farm dirt and grass

20201020_163426 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201020_163801 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

2020-10-26_06-36-06 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

I'll start getting that stuff all stripped down and cleaned up to paint soon. i still need to order a few control arm bushings, sway bar bushings and the inner tie rods, idler arm, so im not in a rush to clean it up.
Then since i already had alot of the tools i was going to need, i did a bunch of measuring, found a ride height i liked and did some more measuring, and started taking some things off the white truck that i will no longer be needing

20201025_132604 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

bed is misaligned, but a jack fits under the frame without having to do anything stupid, so im happy with it. Keeping all of the hard suspension parts, the tubular front crossmember and control arms, the rack and pinion, sway bar and the rear 4 link, but taking the air ride out and going with coilovers. i can still keep it real low because it was designed with a low ride height and still drive and handle nice without worrying about anything hanging down and getting caught up. hard to get a good idea with these pictures, but i think i'll be happy with the height/ stance.

20201025_132624 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

20201025_153145 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

less on topic, i also did some goofy paintings this week since i didnt want to just spend all the time working on old cars , so heres one of those

20201023_211747 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

 

[xtremek]

Nice score on the seat. Bet that's a huge relief. The drip channel looks like you and the grinder are going to become best friends, and nice job on the Edsel fender. What brand coil overs are you planning on using?

 

[Stooge]

Nice score on the seat. Bet that's a huge relief. The drip channel looks like you and the grinder are going to become best friends, and nice job on the Edsel fender. What brand coil overs are you planning on using?

Thanks! there havent been too many parts i've bought for this car that have been both budget friendly as well as nice looking, but the seat is probably the best deal ive gotten on anything so far. i would guess it saves me a grand, but more than that, it saves me the hassle of having to truck it around trying to find an upholstery shop who could take it, but i would still be missing all of the little trim pieces and niceties. he was a nice guy and i happily gave him the 100 , but honestly i probably would have gone up to 500 before i started questioning buying it or not.
I have a plan'ish for dealing with the trunk channel, but its still going to be a pain to get it all cleaned up, but i've got another 2 weeks of vacation to use up before the end of the year, so maybe there will be some more big chunks of progress
I've been looking at the Ridetech coilovers, probably a little overkill for only street driving, but they seem to check all of the boxes. Though, the Ridetech single adjustables are a 'little' bit more spendy than Strange or QA1 single adjustable coilovers , (Ridetech would be around $1400+ for all 4 corners with springs, where as the others come out at about a grand), and i would probably be happy with any of them.
I should be done pulling all of the air management stuff this week if you still want it

 

[xtremek]

I still want it all. Looking forward to putting it in it's new home.

 

[Kev442]

Congrats on major progress on all fronts. Very impressive. Taking a ride for the seat was definitely worth it, your first Upholstered part!
It's always nice to get something that's on the backburner (Edsel) pushed forward 5 or 6 hours, helps them get a bit towards the light at the end of the tunnel without being under a bunch of pressure.
I've been doing kind of the same as you. Installing the rear panel on mine is the longest weld I have ever boogered together, so I only spend a 1/2 hour here and there so I don't get so upset with my lack of welding skill. The flap disk is a birdpoopers best friend. I found a brazed area on it, so the rear quarter/rear panel was massaged sometime in the 60's.
Fall has decided it is going to actually be Winter, so I am struggling to wrap up stuff in October that I usually don't have to address until about Thanksgiving. *****.
It has forced me to start cleaning/organizing the garage as working in the pole building is reaching the end of the line, it's dropping down to 45 in there at night and not recovering with no sunshine during the day. I will be in there this weekend enjoying myself as it might be the last one.

 

[xtremek]

.....Fall has decided it is going to actually be Winter, so I am struggling to wrap up stuff in October that I usually don't have to address until about Thanksgiving. *****.
It has forced me to start cleaning/organizing the garage.................

I haven't even started getting my place ready for the winter, so I feel your pain.

 

[Stooge]

I still want it all. Looking forward to putting it in it's new home.

Cool! i'll keep plugging away removing everything!

Congrats on major progress on all fronts. Very impressive. Taking a ride for the seat was definitely worth it, your first Upholstered part!
It's always nice to get something that's on the backburner (Edsel) pushed forward 5 or 6 hours, helps them get a bit towards the light at the end of the tunnel without being under a bunch of pressure.
I've been doing kind of the same as you. Installing the rear panel on mine is the longest weld I have ever boogered together, so I only spend a 1/2 hour here and there so I don't get so upset with my lack of welding skill. The flap disk is a birdpoopers best friend. I found a brazed area on it, so the rear quarter/rear panel was massaged sometime in the 60's.
Fall has decided it is going to actually be Winter, so I am struggling to wrap up stuff in October that I usually don't have to address until about Thanksgiving. *****.
It has forced me to start cleaning/organizing the garage as working in the pole building is reaching the end of the line, it's dropping down to 45 in there at night and not recovering with no sunshine during the day. I will be in there this weekend enjoying myself as it might be the last one.

I will admit, it took a little to get over the ' i guess im doing this now' when i started pulling the air suspension out of the truck after spending the time to get it in, but im pretty excited for the change and maybe some other upgrades ive been bouncing around.

Ever since i pushed the cars out of the garage and i got to see that huge wagon out in the sun again, i've gotten some Edsel motivation! We're figuring out how to start ordering the parts i need to work on it, without taking it over on him, and also get him to make some decisions about what he wants out of it. Disc brakes are still the issue to be figured out before we can go too much further buttoning up the the front end. The kit from Scarebird for a similar yr thunderbird seems to be the match, the wheel bearings between the thunderbird and edsel are the same and the lug pattern is the same, which seems to reason that the spindle size would be the same, but its not my money and i dont want to be responsible for someone else spending several hundred dollars and have it not fit.

"your first Upholstered part!"
2nd upholstered part! and i havent held it up next to the seat yet, but the new old stock door panel i came across looks like a pretty close match color wise. i do wish they were a darker color, but im happy and surprised i even have this much of interior stuff

2020-10-26_01-24-18 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

 

[xtremek]

Looking forward to seeing the Edsel work. Ok, who am I kidding, I can't wait to see all of it moving forward.

 

[Kev442]

Looking better for the pole building. 50 for Saturday, but a huge warmup is forecast the week after. Claiming 55-60 for early November. I would be really happy if October and November just switched places this year!

 

[ng8264723]

I love the work your doing.....

 

[Stooge]

Thanks guys, not much work really going on this week, atleast until i get the seat home and out of harms way with buick work. I've been talking to some of the pre-war Buick guys, and figured out that the new seat, that i couldnt make sense of the rear mounting for, was assembled upside down, and what should have been attached to the floor, was attached to the seat, and the track that should have been attached to the seat bottom, was assumedly bolted to the floor and left in the car. Fortunately i have the spare unupholstered seat along with some parts that came with the car that i should be able to make the adjustable slide for it work out.

While its still in there, i may have put the door card and window garnishings "in" and made some car noises
Also figured out the new old stock door card i bought that was sold as being for a coupe, seems like its for a shorter sedan door. Atleast i have it to make a template for when the time comes for an interior

2020-11-09_07-43-39 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Also this happened, and there are a few boxes on their way to Xtremek and i have some boxes on their way to me from Summit that should be here today

2020-11-12_07-19-15 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

2020-11-12_07-20-00 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

 

[Kev442]

The dash and steering wheel look even better when offset by the cloth upholstery.

My wife hated the buckskin interior in the 76 Cutlass, but now that it is an all black interior, she likes the whole car!

 

[xtremek]

My daughter is going to enjoy that pile of goodies, but I'm really looking forward to seeing your truck back on the road.

 

[xtremek]

I think Kev and I ought to have a race to see who's toy gets on the road first. The winner has to drop by the loser's house for an food and wrenching, in the drivable project.

 

[Stooge]

The dash and steering wheel look even better when offset by the cloth upholstery.

My wife hated the buckskin interior in the 76 Cutlass, but now that it is an all black interior, she likes the whole car!

Really agree, i was thinking it was going to kind of look off, and the gloss black and tan/brown cloth was going to be too much contrast, but im digging it! And everything inside all been pretty cheap so far. Im going to try and get the seat sirted tomorrow, (thanks to my new schedule of 3 day weekends) so i can get it home this weekend and go back to making a mess there.

My daughter is going to enjoy that pile of goodies, but I'm really looking forward to seeing your truck back on the road.

Me too! It was the little spark i needed for some truck motivation so its not just sitting around for another yr. I only ordered one of the front corners to start incase my math was grossly off, exchanging one seemed easier than 2, and i feel better starting the mounts with it in my hand rather than guestimating.

Shiny stuff! I was going back and fourth on what to get, and after alot of research and talks with some people with more experience than i, decided on Strange Engineering single adjustables with Hyperco coils over the similarly sized QA1's. I dont mind paying for fancier things for cars, but for what i want with the truck, the price difference to the ridetechs talked me out of it. If i wasnt building the buick too, i probably would have sprung for them, but it would a little over $500 more all together, and by all.accounts, the strange ones should keep me happy

How do i join this 'finish one of the cars race???

 

[xtremek]

You've got a huge head start on both Kev and I.

 

[Kev442]

I would lose a race against anyone as I only get 6 months per year on mine. It also competes with all the other things people do during late Spring, Summer and Fall.

That's why I hijack in here. My updates are slow to come, but at least I get to show occasional progress pictures to people who "get" why I'm messing with an old Wi rustbucket. Thanks!

 

[Kev442]

I officially ended my pole building season this weekend. The snow Friday night made it an easy decision as it is used for winter storage. Got everything put away before the 3" of ice cold rain fell all day Sunday.

The last 2 weekends of weather reprieve worked out well, I got enough done to feel good about the progress. I accomplished the following:

Got the rear panel secure enough to put the body down on the frame (sorry about blurry picture)

Installed all 14 (!) body bolts. Some go in tough to reach spots

Removed the 1" tubing from the door openings and cleaned up the weld slag

Cut out the 4 door support bumps from the door sills and hung the doors

Used some of that 1" tubing to chain the transmission up so the car could roll

Did various patch welds and dent removal from the right quarter panel. I forgot to take a picture, but the car sideswiped something and its got a lot of waves and dents. The right door has some damage too, this is gonna take a while. I do feel better that some large dents are now only some final massaging away from mud. There will be no way of avoiding skim coating though, hopefully no more than 1/8" in places.

Hung a front fender with one bolt so I could take a picture. Vroom!

 

[Stooge]

Sounds like more than what ive gotten done the last few days, and looks good with the fender hung!

This is as far as getting the mounting figured out for coilovers went though i did order some material this morning to do the front upper and lower mounts.

2020-11-16_12-55-09 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Somehow i spent most of saturday and sunday messing around with the different seat brackets i have and trying to figure out whats going to work. There must be some difference in the floor configuration between the coupe floor, and the 2 door sedans, which also utilizes a split bench seat. the front pair of mounts, which controls the front and back adjust with 2 flat tracks the mount to the underside of the seat is figured out, but i'll still need to locate the rear 2 tracks to the floor and the underside of the seat, which controls up and down, so as you slide the seat forward, it lifts the seat up, and sliding back lowers the seat. I would have been able to get it mostly done yesterday, but i didnt have the correct sized weld nuts, but i ordered them this morning so i should be able to get it buttoned up and get the seat home for safe keeping. i have all of next week off, so im trying to make sure i have stuff to keep me busy!

(rear floor pans are just tacked in place, everything still needs to be final welded!)
2020-11-16_12-57-17 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Everything being so tight to the floor to make things easier with my big stupid hands. A little recess in the floor for the front adjuster rod

2020-11-16_01-18-39 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

 

[xtremek]

Ok, the two of you need to slow down and wait for me to catch up. FWIW, I got two boxes of cool parts for the daughter's ride. I kind of wished I had the time to play with them.

 

[Kev442]

Wow, 7 weeks gone by. Saw this ad today and it reminded me to see if the virus bit you or something...

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/d/sparta-1936-oldsmobile-window-coupe/7248791573.html

Not much to report on my end, just been lazily bonking on a huge wave on the right rear quarter panel of my wife's project car. I may have mentioned it had an oil canning issue last year, but it turned out to be pushed in somehow almost 1/2". Couldn't even tell without the straight edge, guess my eyes are getting old.

 

[Stooge]

Wow, 7 weeks gone by. Saw this ad today and it reminded me to see if the virus bit you or something...

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/d/sparta-1936-oldsmobile-window-coupe/7248791573.html

Not much to report on my end, just been lazily bonking on a huge wave on the right rear quarter panel of my wife's project car. I may have mentioned it had an oil canning issue last year, but it turned out to be pushed in somehow almost 1/2". Couldn't even tell without the straight edge, guess my eyes are getting old.

i like that oldsmobile! and its giving me ideas about what to do about the bumpers i have that are fairly trashed and need to get rechromed, but ive been open to more cost efficient alternatives, like smooth bumpers for similar yr chevys that i can buy new for around a grand, versus what i am guessing will be an expensive plating shop bill. i do really like the body line/ indent on the stock buick bumpers though, another indecisive area

Updates wise, these things are still blown apart, the edsel even a little more so now since that picture because i pulled the front grill and passenger side fender off since SUPPOSEDLY the 460 and C6 are coming back within the month and i'd like to get it installed sooner than later for extra space's sake, but also because its a big block in a station wagon
I have to bring home a welder to weld in the front upper coilover mounts in the truck, the lower mounts will bolt into the lower control arm, (i didnt want to do anything that wasnt reversible to the tubular control arms)

2020-12-21_12-42-20 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

2021-01-07_07-06-13 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

After fighting some oddly oriented Edsel inner fender bolts, (threads facing outside the wheel well/ outside towards the tires so they were nice and crunchy, every single one of them popped) i decided i'll be buying some long pattern 0* offset wrenches in the not too distant future because this was a pain in the *** with my regular length 1/2" wrenches and there wasnt room for a ratchet.

2021-01-07_07-06-43 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

i had been trying to eat up the rest of my vacation time before the end of the year, so this last week or so, i thought cutting big a big hole in the Buick would be a good use of my time. I have been trying to make excuses to leave the trunk floor alone, but it had to be done, so its getting done. It was full of holes and old brazed repairs that just looked bad, and with all of the other work especially in that area with the new outer tail pan, inner tail pan/ tool recess area and trunk channel, it would have been silly and lazy to leave it. when i cut it out and could see all of the swiss cheese holes, i felt a little better about it.

12 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

13 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

14 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

started with a big piece of 4ft wide 18ga. i think i might upgrade my little bead roller next time i do a big floor piece, but with a little convincing it was fine, though an extra set of hands would have been helpful. i realized immediately after i finished, that i had a bigger sized die that i should have used, but it does its job and will be covered with a rubber mat

15 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

i cut the sides to follow the curve of the frame like the stock floor had, rounded the edges of the new "flaps" to make it look a little nicer and used a step die in the beadroller on the tops of them for the body mount bolt holes and to make them recessed a bit ( where the blue marker marks are on them, though this was before i did that)

16 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

and since i had to make a cover for the fuel neck that intersects the floor, ( thats how the stock floor was) to go out to the passenger side fender, now seemed like a good time to do it. It would have been easier to just drill the hole for a new tube, but i had cut out the section from the new tank i bought when i shaved the fill neck, so i just moved it over to the side. it was a pain and will still get cleaned up a bit, but it was good enough to make a new cover piece for it.

17 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

18 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

19 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

2021-01-07_07-08-00 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Made a few filler pieces and have just been getting it all fit in nicely and get it all welded in, still alot of cleaning up the welds, but its getting there
20 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

2021-01-07_07-19-02 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

and pulled a wheel off so i could test the spare time clamp. i do not have the tray that is supposed to cover the tire and make a false trunk floor with the side brackets, ( i was planning to cut one out of plywood and cover it in rubber mat when i get to that point) but looking at the height of the trunk floor brackets that would support the tray, im guessing the wider wheel and tire is getting in the way of that, ( i believe the wheels that came on the car are from a post war car and are 1.5" wider and a different backspacing that what would have come on a 1937 Century). i can worry about that later though

21 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1607628470411 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Now since the rear wheels rub the back fenders because the wheel sticks out more, i want to get the wheels and tires for it. Planning on ordering a set of 15x6 from Wheelsmith, with their Hollywood flipper caps and trim rings, powder coated black, and i've been planning on blackwall bias ply looking radial Auburn Deluxe tires from Diamondback, but ive been second guessing blackwalls in favor of whites. price difference is forgettable, Should i make it a poll??

2021-01-07_07-31-16 by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Screenshot_20210105-175008_Chrome by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Obviously not coupes, but black tires really have the look i like
Screenshot_20210105-082340_Gallery by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Screenshot_20210105-082335_Gallery by Dan Haas, on Flickr

And if i get blackwalls, its just going to be 'why didnt you get whitewalls, too expensive?, etc" but they do look great on big cars

Screenshot_20210105-082359_Gallery by Dan Haas, on Flickr

Screenshot_20210105-082707_Gallery by Dan Haas, on Flickr